The False Promise of Survival: Civil Defense in America During the Cold War
The False Promise of Survival:
Civil Defense in America during the Cold War
David Crosbie
U.S. HIST
March, 2013
The advent of nuclear weapons dawned a new and terrifying era in human history. The destructive power of the atomic bomb, demonstrated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ushered in a global climate of fear. Emerging from the rubble of the Second World War, the U.S. and Soviet Union became the two most dominant economic, political, and military superpowers in the global arena. Upholding fundamental ideological differences, the U.S. and Soviet Union became entrenched in their respective camps of capitalism and communism. Having acquired nuclear weapons, and illustrated their ability to use them, the U.S challenged the Soviet Union’s military might. The Soviet Union promptly accepted this challenge by successfully acquiring nuclear capabilities on par with the U.S. In effect, a nuclear arms race ensued and the Cold War began. Fear of nuclear annihilation ultimately swept across the globe and into the homes of American citizens. Life in America during the Cold War’s climate of fear is exemplified in the 1955 Library of Congress photograph entitled “H-Bomb hideaway”, which portrays a family living in the confined space of their “Kidde Kokoon” fallout shelter in Garden City, Long Island.[1] This photograph incited the idea for this paper to examine the civil defense measures taken by the U.S. federal government during the Cold War. First, the task of civil defense in the nuclear age will be addressed. Second, the major federal institution tasked with civil defense during the Cold War will be examined. Third, the federal government’s priority over the public when concerning civil defense will be critiqued. Fourth, the implications of the civil defense measures taken will be addressed. Finally, a summation of civil defense during the Cold War will be presented. In doing so, it will become apparent that U.S. federal leaders failed to provide adequate and
Civil Defense in America during the Cold War
David Crosbie
U.S. HIST
March, 2013
The advent of nuclear weapons dawned a new and terrifying era in human history. The destructive power of the atomic bomb, demonstrated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ushered in a global climate of fear. Emerging from the rubble of the Second World War, the U.S. and Soviet Union became the two most dominant economic, political, and military superpowers in the global arena. Upholding fundamental ideological differences, the U.S. and Soviet Union became entrenched in their respective camps of capitalism and communism. Having acquired nuclear weapons, and illustrated their ability to use them, the U.S challenged the Soviet Union’s military might. The Soviet Union promptly accepted this challenge by successfully acquiring nuclear capabilities on par with the U.S. In effect, a nuclear arms race ensued and the Cold War began. Fear of nuclear annihilation ultimately swept across the globe and into the homes of American citizens. Life in America during the Cold War’s climate of fear is exemplified in the 1955 Library of Congress photograph entitled “H-Bomb hideaway”, which portrays a family living in the confined space of their “Kidde Kokoon” fallout shelter in Garden City, Long Island.[1] This photograph incited the idea for this paper to examine the civil defense measures taken by the U.S. federal government during the Cold War. First, the task of civil defense in the nuclear age will be addressed. Second, the major federal institution tasked with civil defense during the Cold War will be examined. Third, the federal government’s priority over the public when concerning civil defense will be critiqued. Fourth, the implications of the civil defense measures taken will be addressed. Finally, a summation of civil defense during the Cold War will be presented. In doing so, it will become apparent that U.S. federal leaders failed to provide adequate and